Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess

have a cabin, Phyllis,
    And something good to eat;
    Everyone sing,” Shepard shouted! “Wait for the wagon,” Before long they were all singing the chorus and by the time they reached the middle of town and turned north, they had attracted the attention of nearly everyone.
    Pearl and Loretta rushed out of the general store to see what the singing was about. “Mr. MacGreagor does not look so very unhappy today, does he?” asked Pearl, watching the wagon come toward them.
    “ Not at all,” Loretta answered.
    Standing on the corner, Claymore Whitfield shouted, “Hannish, where are you going?”
    Hannish turned to look back and smile, “To picnic at Palmer Lake, Claymore.”
    “ Mind if we come along?”
    “ Not at all.” He watched Claymore hurry off to find Abigail, noticed Pearl and Loretta standing outside the general store and tipped his hat to them as he passed.
    On the other side of the street, Shepard nodded to Mr. Palmer, the owner of the railroad, and was reminded of another song. “ I've been working on the railroad. All the livelong day…” he began to sing. The Americans knew this song too, so Shepard taught the Scots the chorus, and soon everyone was singing , “Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won’t you blow your horn.”
    As soon as the music stopped, McKenna began to giggle. “Brother, have you looked back lately?”
    “ What?” He turned to see and to his amazement, there were five carriages and two wagons following them. He shrugged, “Our private picnic will not be so private, I imagine.”
    The climb to the top of one hill was a bit steep for the four-horse team, so most of the riders got out and walked, letting the elder women stay aboard. Cathleen tried to pick all the wild flowers she could along the side of the road, and Sassy kept running back to hurry her along, while Hannish, Alistair and Traitor brought up the rear. At the top, they stopped to admire the view for a moment. Then the men helped the women get back in the wagon and off they went.
    There were more songs to sing -- My Darling Clementine and Sweet Betsy from Pike . Shepard repeated each so they could learn them and then introduced a new song about a place called The Red River Valley .
    This time when Shepard repeated the song, only three men sang with him and they soon developed such perfect harmony, the others just listened in awe. Shepard, Prescot, Brookton and Egan sounded as though they had sung together all their lives, and McKenna was convinced these could match the talents of any quartet anywhere. When the song ended, everyone applauded and so did the people in the wagons and the carriages following them.
    At last, they passed the vast fields where stocks of grain rippled in the gentle breeze, continued through the small town of Palmer Lake and arrived at the edge of the clear blue, pristine water. Once everyone was out of the wagon, Halen and Jessie found a patch of grass and began to spread the blankets while the men carried the picnic baskets. Traitor ran to get a drink of water, and then went off to smell and see everything else.
    Wearing their matching blue/gray servant frocks, Cathleen and Sassy walked to the edge of the lake and stared at the spectacular view of the glittering water, the foothills, Pikes Peak and the snowcapped Rocky Mountains. Neither of them spoke until Cathleen finally asked, “Did you ever know the world was this big, Leesil?”
    “ I never did.” She watched an eagle glide through the air and land in a tree. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Hannish coming toward them and turned his way.
    “ Can we drink this water?” Cathleen asked. “The purser said we best not drink ocean water for it would make us daft.”
    “ He said the same to me,” Sassy said.
    “ Aye, you can drink it,” said Hannish. “When is it warmer, I shall bring you back so you can have a swim. Just now, ‘tis too cold.”
    “ Do you promise?” Sassy asked.
    “ I do.” He quickly glanced back at the arriving carriages. “I suspect you are about to meet our neighbors. You’ll not be frightened, will you Cathleen?”
    “ Leesil does not let anyone hurt me.”
    “ I am glad to hear that, but if you should feel the least bit afraid, you come find me.” He waited for her nod and then went off to greet the new arrivals.
    Cathleen made certain he was too far away to hear, before she asked, “What do you make of him?”
    “ Mr. Hannish? He is the kindest man in all